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The Long-Term Effects of Truck Accident Injuries
Truck accident claims are also considerably more complex than claims that solely involve personal vehicles. Working with an experienced truck accident lawyer is crucial. Find out how we can help by calling Rocky McElhaney Law Firm: Car Accident & Injury Lawyers.
Why truck accident injuries can have lasting consequences
Truck accidents are especially dangerous for drivers and passengers because of the force involved. There is a huge size disparity between passenger vehicles and commercial trucks, and because these trucks rely heavily on freeways to travel, collisions often happen at high speeds. Accidents may involve multiple points of impact, underride damage, dangerous cargo spills, rollovers, and crushed vehicles.
This level of force can cause severe trauma to the body, and it is not uncommon for victims to be left with multiple injuries. Someone may have a traumatic brain injury, back injury, multiple broken bones, and internal trauma all from the same collision. Emergency services can address the most urgent injuries, but the long-term impact of the crash may force a victim to undergo surgeries, physical therapy, specialist care, and time away from work.
Common truck accident injuries with long-term effects
Not all long-term injuries are immediately visible. People sometimes check themselves for any obvious broken bones and feel relieved if they do not notice any injuries right away—but it is important not to assume you are in the clear until you have actually been checked out by a doctor. Injuries that may lead to long-term issues include traumatic brain injuries, injuries to the neck and back, chronic pain, and broken bones.
Traumatic brain injuries after a truck crash
Traumatic brain injuries are some of the most serious and unpredictable injuries you may experience in a truck accident. A bad traumatic brain injury can affect how you move, think, feel, and interact with others. Those who suffer minor TBIs may recover with minimal medical intervention, while people with moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries may spend years or decades dealing with the effects of their truck accident.
Early symptoms of a TBI include headaches, dizziness, memory problems, confusion, mood changes, nausea, and difficulty concentrating. If you have not already seen a doctor and you notice these symptoms, get checked out immediately. The brain can recover from traumatic brain injuries to some degree, but how much and how quickly you recover is partly affected by how quickly you seek medical care.
Neck, back, and spinal injuries
Herniated discs, spinal fractures, and soft tissue injuries are fairly common after truck accidents. These injuries can be incredibly painful; they cause not just neck and back pain, but also pain that radiates into the arms and legs. Other symptoms include numbness, tingling, weakness, and a limited range of motion.
Treatment options vary. Your doctor may recommend injections, physical therapy, ongoing pain management, or even surgery. Even when treatments are successful, patients may have permanent restrictions on lifting and bending.
The most severe spinal injuries can cause paraplegia and quadriplegia. Loss of sensation, paralysis, bowel and bladder complications, and loss of independence are all common with these diagnoses.
Chronic pain after truck accidents
Chronic pain is often one of the most challenging effects of a truck accident. It is caused by a number of injuries, including broken bones, soft tissue damage, and burns. Even with the most comprehensive pain management support, people who suffer chronic pain often report a significant drop in their quality of life and increased isolation. It can lead to mental health issues, and pain medications can cause a whole additional set of side effects that further isolate patients.
Broken bones and joint injuries
Broken bones can be fairly straightforward injuries if we are talking about a clean break and a single broken bone. In a truck accident, you are not always guaranteed that. People may suffer multiple broken bones, complex fractures that are difficult or impossible to repair, or fractures that require multiple surgeries. In some cases, doctors have to stabilize the break with plates, screws, and rods. Even successful treatment may leave a patient with reduced mobility, pain, and weakness.
Joint injuries can impact every part of a victim’s life, affecting their ability to work, care for their children, climb stairs, and take care of themselves. While this may not be a significant financial loss for those who work in sedentary jobs, it can be career-ending for people in physical jobs.
Long-term financial consequences
In addition to the injuries themselves, victims often suffer severe financial losses as a result of their injuries. Medical bills add up fast, including emergency care bills, surgical care, specialist visits, physical therapy, mobility devices, and prescriptions. Lost income is also a significant loss. When someone is so severely injured that they cannot work at all or cannot work as much as they did before the accident, they may be unable to support their families.
Early settlement offers can be risky for this specific reason. An early offer may look fair, only for victims to find that it covers a fraction of their medical expenses and lost wages.
The role of maximum medical improvement
Maximum medical improvement, also referred to as MMI, is the point at which someone has likely recovered as much as they can. For some people, MMI is a full recovery. For others, MMI may fall short of a full recovery and reflect the permanent losses they may face moving forward.
Reaching MMI is an important point in your truck accident case because it gives you and your truck accident lawyer a better idea of how much your injury is likely to cost you and what amount would actually be a fair settlement. But while MMI can help you value damages, it is generally not recommended that you wait until reaching MMI to pursue your claim—Tennessee generally gives you one year to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Injured in a truck accident? Call us today
If you have been injured in a Tennessee truck accident, it is time to talk to the team at Rocky McElhaney Law Firm: Car Accident & Injury Lawyers. Give us a call or reach out online to schedule your consultation now.